So some exciting news for us here in Costa Rica as we as ever strive towards protecting the ocean through education and action. Here at Oceans Unlimited we have become 100% AWARE because we believe that protecting the environment cannot be a part-time activity. One is either all in or not in at all.

What does 100% AWARE mean?

Starting this high season every time you complete a certification with us here at Oceans Unlimited you will earn a special Project AWARE certification card as a donation will have been made to Project AWARE. Our hope is that it will inspire you to participate as well.One way to continue supporting Project AWARE is to support them with donations or to turn all of your other certification cards into PADI Project AWARE cards. The donations given through 100% AWARE and monetary donations help to protect the planet’s most vulnerable shark and manta ray species and helps tackle marine debris issues globally.

What does Joining 100% AWARE do you may ask. Your support is paramount in the fight to save OUR ocean planet. It is not limited to the following, but includes:

The past couple of years have not been kind to coral reefs; a global bleaching event has been ongoing since 2014. A large portion of the northern Great Barrier Reef has been devastated, and about 2/3 of the corals there are said to be dead. But what does this mean? Are we doomed to lose all of or most of the remaining coral reefs, as some scientists have asserted?

Bleaching occurs when corals stressed by heat and ocean acidification expel their symbiotic algae, losing both their color and their food source. It appears that there are multiple factors at play here: corals not subjected to changing pH are far better able to withstand higher temperatures, and pollutants and runoff from agriculture may also contribute to coral stress.

Reefs can survive in a bleached condition for a time. If the water temperature drops again relatively quickly, the corals can easily recover. But if too much time passes, they will die, as has happened in many locations around the globe. The current global bleaching event has been ongoing for over two years, and is expected to continue into 2017.

The case of Coral Castles, a remote reef located in the Phoenix Islands between Hawaii and Fiji, is particularly intriguing. The reef was declared dead in 2003, and as recently as 2012 had showed few signs of life. But then, in 2015, a research expedition discovered that the reef was rebounding. In August of this year, they discovered that corals there were continuing to recover, even as sea temperatures continued to rise.

Little is known about how this happened, or what the implications may be for other areas hit hard by bleaching events. But a great deal of research has been done in the past several decades that gives us some clues. Among other things, scientists have discovered that some corals and their algae are genetically better equipped to cope with stressful conditions. When there is massive die-off on a reef, some of the better adapted corals may survive and reproduce, eventually recolonizing the reef. This is, however, a slow process.

In order to try to lend a hand in this, scientists have been experimenting with culturing these more resilient corals and algae, and then transplanting them onto reefs where massive bleaching has occurred. They have had some success with this, and have shown that the increased resilience is passed along when corals reproduce. http://www.sci-news.com/genetics/science-corals-heat-tolerant-genes-02958.html

These and other projects offer some hope that we may be able to help the reefs to survive. But beyond science, it is of utmost importance that we stop those activities that are causing the problem – particularly the use of fossil fuels, but also the use of other pollutants. Each of us can help by considering carefully the choices that we make as consumers, and by trying to leave a smaller footprint on the earth

Have you come off of a scuba dive before and had that feeling that you are ready to eat the biggest plate of food possible ? You get some grub, sit down for a moment, eat, and then boom! All you want to do is sleep. Sound familiar? Even if you haven’t been scuba diving before, maybe you are planning a dive certification on vacation and what to maximize everything during your day. The last thing you want is to be so exhausted the rest of the day, so you end up wasting a whole afternoon. So, we thought we’d give you some info on staying hydrated and healthy during your scuba diving experience, that way you can maximize your time on vacation.

We all know that our body is made up of 70% water and we need a good supply of it to stay hydrated. Now you will have heard before that drinking 2 liters of water a day is a good thing. Well, think about the fact that you could be in or visiting a hot humid climate plus the fact you would be breathing compressed air. This is going to require a bigger intake.

When your body does not receive enough water it gets mixed signals on hunger. Dehydration can cause you to feel hunger, when in reality your body is craving for water. Add to that, if you don’t drink enough water your body will feel tired.

All divers when they have completed their dive usually are suffering from a certain degree of dehydration. Upon entering the ocean to start with, you will start to dehydrate as due to the salt water it will have an osmotic effect on your body. This is the effect that, as the salt concentration in the ocean is so much higher than your own body, when you get into the water, it begins to draw out the moisture from your body so dehydrating you.

When you are breathing compressed air you will dehydrate even more. Have you ever breathed on a mirror and seen it fog up? That is the moisture in your breath. Now, with the compressed air that we breathe from scuba tanks, it goes through a number of filters and dryers to make it as pure and clean as possible, which included removing moisture. As you, the diver breathe this air into your lungs, moisture moves from your body into the air to saturate it, so again dehydrating you even more. Now we add in the hot climate where you could be sweating out that additional water and we have a whole combination of dehydration factors. For a hot humid climate it is recommended to drink up to twice as much.

So, what can you do to combat this?

Ideally, to stay hydrated you need to have a gradual intake of water, as drinking a lot, when you are not used to it is not good for you either. If you start hydrating the day before that is a great idea with a gradual intake of water or 2 liters of water (more if in a hot climate, and an FYI, coffee doesn’t count!). On the day of your dive, consume half a liter when you wake up and then take an additional quarter of a litre before you start the dive. You would then need an additional liter of water either between dives, after dives or combo thereof. Sounds like a lot? Not really, and you will find you will feel so much more refreshed after the dives and for the rest of your dive and that is the goal right?

So here are some summary key points to think about:

Avoid caffeine when you will be diving as this will dehydrate you as will alcohol.

Drink extra water the night before and then before, during and after the dive.

Take a bottle of water with you – whilst nearly all dive boats have water onboard, this will enable you to monitor exactly how much water you are drinking. And just an environmental point, try not to buy a plastic one, lets go reusable!

Don’t put a wetsuit on until you have to, as overheating and sweating in a hot climate is not good. Dunk the wetsuit before you put it on as well to keep you cooler.

Want to live the dream and become a PADI scuba diving instructor? We are holding our next instructor development course here in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica starting June 19th. Our Scuba instructor program includes a FREE IDC prep course, a free MSDT prep course, marketing and job search help as well as diving throughout the program. The course also includes the EFR instructor program which is a two day program training you to teach CPR and first aid courses. It is the most comprehensive scuba instructor training program in Central America and will fully prepare you to teach scuba diving and work in the dive industry throughout the world. A great way to start a new adventure. Oceans Unlimited, a 5*IDC center located at the new marina in Quepos has an air conditioned classroom for all academic sessions plus nearby pool for skill practice and a fully equipped dive boat in only 5 minutes away. Spaces are still available as well as spaces on our comprehensive PADI Divemaster program. With self reliant and specialty training the first step on the dive professional ladder is a fun and exciting step. For more information please contact us today!

]]>http://www.scubadivingcostarica.com/come-join-our-padi-idc-in-june/feed/0Striking one off of the bucket listhttp://www.scubadivingcostarica.com/striking-off-of-the-bucket-list/
http://www.scubadivingcostarica.com/striking-off-of-the-bucket-list/#respondThu, 10 Mar 2016 23:18:52 +0000http://www.scubadivingcostarica.com/?p=2298

This past week we were lucky enough to take George diving. He is a T-10 paraplegic that has always wanted to scuba dive and with our new center located in the Marina Pez Vela in Quepos, we have a fully accessible class, center and dive boat. With our adaptive teaching program, and adaptive teaching instructor programs available at our 5* IDC teaching facility here in Quepos we jumped at the chance to be able to share our love of the ocean and scuba diving with anyone who would love to try. Check out our video above to see the fun we had!

While checking the news this morning I stumbled upon an article about one of the Killer Whales that is being kept in captivity at SeaWorld. Here is the article Tilikum . I started doing some research on keeping these amazing creatures in tanks. The studies don’t seem to good for the whales, and a main example is Tilikum. In the wild killer whales are not known for exhibiting aggressive behaviour towards humans. Tilikum has been “responsible” for the death of three humans. It is hypothesized that being kept captive has caused him to develop aggressive behaviour. Life expectancy in the wild is over 50 years, however the whales kept in captivity have a life expectancy of only 13 years. One obvious negative factor of whales being in captivity is the space they are given. In the wild these creatures have hundreds of thousands of miles to swim, hunt, and socialize. In a tank they are kept in very small areas, decreasing their ability to swim the necessary distances to stay healthy. Also they are cut off from interaction with other whales, and similar to humans, this can cause behavioural problems, such aggression as I’ve already stated. Whales who are stuck together in captivity often fight due to anxiety and tension, which is extremely unusual in the wild. There are several other reasons listed on a website I found for whales not to be kept in captivity, I have included the link so you can read more if it’s a topic that interests you.

I don’t discount the amount of knowledge and research that can be done when we have whales in captivity. However, I believe this should be done over the short rehabilitation periods when whales are injured and rescued, or in other controlled short period situations. Keeping whales in captivity for a long period of time has proven to be fairly harmful to both whales and humans.

Here are some interesting facts about Killer Whales.

Size: They are the largest species of the dolphin family. They weigh up to 6 tons (5,443 kilograms) and grow to 23 to 32 feet (7 to 9.7 meters).

Habitat: These animals do not stay in one area and have been documented traveling long distances. They adapt very well to any climate. For example, they can live in the warm waters near the equator or the icy waters of the North and South Pole regions.

Diet: Killer whales feed on sea birds, squid, octopuses, sea turtles, sharks, rays and fish. They also eat most marine mammals, such as seals and dugongs.

Offspring: A female killer whale will give birth every three to 10 years, to one offspring at a time. The gestation period usually lasts for around 17 months. A baby orca is called a calf, and they are about 8.5 feet (2.6 m) long and 265 to 353 lbs. (120 to 160 kg) at birth.

The oceans are home to thousands of creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colours. One small, but magnificent creature is the boxfish. As the name suggests, they are shaped like boxes and are generally 2-18 inches in length depending on age. They are poisonous and when threatened secrete proteins from their skin called “ostracitoxin” which is toxic to fish in the surrounding area. Their colourful bodies with spots are to warn other fish to stay away, so they do not get poisoned.

Boxfish feed mostly on algae but are known to also feed on other organisms such as sponges and mollusks. They are solitary animals, who meet up in the spring to mate. The ratio is generally 1 male to every 2-4 females.

I’ve found this really awesome site about Manta Rays. I’m generally more interested in the small creatures of the world, however, sometimes it’s nice to pay some attention to the big creatures of the sea. I’ve pulled some information from the website for you here, however if you are interested in learning more, please go to the link provided at the bottom. There is even conservation information on the website!

Manta:

The skin of these animals is rough to the touch because it has conical dermal denticles, similar to tooth structures. Additionally, it is covered with a layer of mucus that protects it from infections. The color varies, as each individual has a unique pattern of spots that identifies them.

Manta Feeding:

The primary food source for the Manta Ray is plankton which are various organisms in the water.

Manta Reproduction:

The courtship process may take several days and perhaps even weeks. What happens during this time is very interesting: usually several males congregate around a receptive female and compete to mate with her. This creates what is known as “train mating” characterized by about 25-30 males, arranged one behind the other, following the female’s movements while she leads them all.

At the end of this test, the female chooses a male and it bites its partner’s left pectoral fin to hold her. Then it positions itself so that bellies of both are bonded, and inserts one of its claspers in the female cloaca. The coupling lasts several seconds and usually the female stands still. After mating the male goes away and never returns to take part in parental care.

Manta Predators:

In the wild they may be victims of attacks by large sharks, killer whales and false killer whales, and of course man!

The other day I went for some fun dives to take some footage to share with everyone. It’s been my good fortune that I can’t seem to win the battle with the technology needed to share those images with you. I haven’t given up yet but wanted to share something with you in the mean time. On the first of the dives I came across so many amazing creatures. One of my best dives here, if not ever. I came across 3 different species of Moray Eels, a beautiful box fish, a tiny nudibranch, lobsters and much more. Since I can’t share my own images with you, I’m sharing an article about the amazing moray eels. I hope you enjoy, and that I figure out this go pro thing soon!

They use powerful jaws (beaks); where they get the name “parrot”fish from

Their beaks are used to scrape algae and coral polyps from hard substrates

They digest the polyps which is often seen excreting from them while diving

This digestion makes up a lot of the sand around coral reefs!

It is hard to identify different species because of their many different phases which include:

Juvenile Phase

Initial Phase

Terminal Phase

Some also have intermediate phases which can include the hermaphoroditic parrotfish that go through a sex reversal.

Parrotfish are important to our coral reefs because they feed on micro algae. Parrotfish are seen in some countries as a food delicacy and therefore are one of the fish that suffer from overfishing. Along with overfishing parrotfish also suffer from global warming and pollution.

The disappearance of the parrotfish would be detrimental to coral reefs, they are important in order to keep the corals from smothering in excess algae cover.

Here in Costa Rica we see are fortunate enough to get to see these important creatures. The most common ones we see are the bluechin parrotfish. Sometime we are lucky enough to see the bumphead! Our weekly REEF checks help us to determine approximately how many parrotfish are around the area. This can lead to conclusions of how much algae is on the reefs and why. And as we have learned these herbivores are important for the survival of the beautiful coral reefs. So next time you see a parrotfish be sure to smile knowing how important this fish is!